B R E ATHE FR EELY. Do you breathe freely? Controlling exposures to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry

Transcription

1 B R E ATHE FR EELY Controlling exposures to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry Do you breathe freely?

2 99% health Approx 13,000 died from work related disease 1% safety 133 workers died in accidents at work These figures are for British Industry as a whole. However, the picture is likely to be the same in the Construction Industry. HSE Statistics 2013/14

3 Treat health like safety and breathe freely Every year in the UK, about 13,000 people die from diseases which were caused by the work that they do, or used to do. In 2014/15, in comparison, precisely 142 people died from accidents at work. In other words, 99% of deaths caused by work can be attributed to ill health, and 1% to poor safety. Breathe Freely A collaborative approach BOHS launched this initiative on 28 April 2015 in partnership with HSE, Land Securities, Mace and Constructing Better Health. In its first year, Breathe Freely has attracted unprecedented levels of support with over 60 partners and sponsors, including employers, trade unions and other influential people and organisations within the construction sector and elsewhere. Furthermore, construction workers in the UK are 100 times more likely to die from an occupational disease than a workplace accident. Just as surprising, though, is that we can protect workers health and actually prevent most of these deaths through good occupational hygiene practice. Or to put it simply, by recognising the hazards, evaluating the risks, and controlling exposures. People at work - that means everyone, employers and employees - need to recognise what the greatest hazards in the workplace actually are and properly understand the real risks these pose to workers health. Then they need to control their exposures to them. It s time to start managing health like we manage safety in our UK workplaces. BOHS is the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection; we re the professional society representing qualified occupational hygienists in the UK, and we understand the scale of the problem. We also know that it can change, and we know how to help make that change happen. That s where our Breathe Freely campaign comes in. Breathe Freely Controlling exposures to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry We have started with the construction industry. And specifically, we re tackling lung disease in construction. Why? Because we have to start somewhere and the facts about this sector are particularly shocking. There were 35 fatal injuries to UK construction workers in 2014/15. Each of these is an individual tragedy. But in the same industry and over the same period of time (a year), there were about 5,500 new occupational cancer cases, 3,500 deaths from past exposures to asbestos and 500 deaths from exposure to silica dust alone. That s a considerably bigger tragedy. At BOHS we understand the scale of the impact of occupational ill health in construction. But we also know how important it is to generate better awareness of its causes as well as how to do something about it. So that everyone can breathe freely.

4 Recognise, evaluate, control and breathe freely 1. Recognise the hazards and breathe freely 2. Evaluate the risks and breathe freely Construction workers could be exposed to some, many or all of the following: Diesel exhaust fumes Silica dust Wood and other dusts Asbestos Welding fumes Legionella and other biological agents Solvents Isocyanates, epoxy and other resin vapours and mists These aren't the only dusts and chemical hazards you'll find on a construction site (or in any workplace). Lead is another, and there are physical hazards like noise, vibration, heat and light and radiation, and manual handling and other ergonomic issues. But these are just some of the substances which we know cause lung diseases. Serious, debilitating, irreversible, life-limiting and, in some cases fatal, lung diseases. Like lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis (eg. asbestosis and silicosis), asthma, pulmonary oedema, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Not every risk to health is a high risk. Low level exposures to some harmful substances may cause only temporary ill effects or none at all. But any exposure, even at the minutest levels, to other substances can lead to debilitating or chronic diseases. Some substances are hazardous only if exposure to them happens over a long time; others cause ill health immediately, or lead to worsening symptoms if exposure continues. Risks can also be reduced or increased depending on the workplace environment, the work tasks involved, the methods of working - all things which can affect exposures. Many respiratory hazards cannot be seen by the naked eye. And many ill health effects don t appear until many years later. Often, published workplace exposure limits and guidance surrounding known hazards can provide the information you need to assess the health risk. Sometimes though, only specialist exposure monitoring techniques, like air or biological monitoring, can determine the level of risk for particular workers to particular diseases. There are a multitude of construction trades, all facing a combination of different levels of different health risks, all of the time. It s clear that not everybody on site everywhere understands this. But we do. 3. Control exposure and breathe freely When you understand the health hazards and have evaluated the risks, then you re in a position to effectively control exposures. This might mean sourcing different products and materials in the first place, changing work methods and habits, segregating work areas, implementing engineering controls like dust extraction tools and ventilation, and introducing PPE. It should also mean training and communication, supervision, maintenance and testing of controls and ongoing monitoring. A good control method becomes a poor one if it s broken or not used properly, or at all. The invisible nature of many of the toxic substances that workers breathe in The long latency of their ill effects Controls are often frequently + = ignored

5 Construction Trades Health Hazards Fact Sheet Controlling Exposures to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry HAZARDS AND RISKS CONTROL OPTIONS MANAGING THE RISK There are significant health hazards associated Elimination/prevention Training & communication, supervision, with plumbing/heating installation, maintenance maintenance & testing of controls and air Asbestos and refurbishment work. Drilling, breaking and monitoring* are all vital aspects of managing the The aim is to avoid exposure completely. Information fixing pipework and tanks; cutting, pulling and risk, in addition to health surveillance which can on the presence of asbestos should come from the sawing insulation materials; soldering, brazing be a requirement in certain circumstances. See premises asbestos management plan and asbestos and welding pipework; and applying paints and our introductory Respiratory Health Hazards in register. For information on non-licensed work tasks sealants are all regular tasks which can generate Construction Fact Sheet Series: Overview for more involving asbestos and how to safely carry them out, airborne substances which are harmful if inhaled. information about what things to consider and refer to HSE s HSG210: Asbestos Essentials: implement. Asbestos fibres* When working in buildings, particularly those built (In addition, NNLW requires that employers notify the Air monitoring* before 2000, heating engineers may come into relevant enforcing authority (usually the HSE), Air monitoring is a specialist activity. It may be contact with or disturb a number of different designate areas where the work is being done, needed as part of a COSHH assessment, as a asbestos containing materials (ACMs). Asbestos is ensure medical examinations take place, and periodic check on control effectiveness and to classified as a category 1 carcinogen and maintain health records.) assess compliance with relevant WELs, or where causes around 5000 work-related deaths each there has been a failure in a control (for example MMMFs year in the UK. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can if a worker reports respiratory symptoms). A Use non-fibrous insulation in place of cause mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung qualified Occupational Hygienist can ensure it is glass/mineral wools, or use bonded and cancer, asbestosis, and pleural thickening - which carried out in a way that provides meaningful and covered MMMF insulation materials if possible. are fatal or serious and incurable diseases that helpful results. Use push fit pipe and tank fittings to avoid take many years to manifest. soldering. Use rosin-free or rosin reduced solder. Man Made Mineral Fibre (MMMF) Use safer alternative products to isocyante Glass and mineral wools found in pipe, tank and based spray foam insulation, isocyante paints loft insulation contain fibres that can be released or epoxy paints; avoid excessive foam packing. during application or removal. Inhaling the fibres can cause acute irritation of the respiratory Engineering controls system and possibly a higher risk of lung cancer. Use industrial Class H HEPA vacuums for cleaning up ACMs/MMMF materials. Solder rosin fume (colophony) Use local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems, When soldering, the heating of fluxes such as an extracted booth or cabinet, or containing rosin (or derivatives) produces fume, tip extraction on the soldering iron, during which if inhaled is one of the most significant soldering operations. causes of occupational asthma, which is an irreversible condition. The fumes can also act as Safe working methods an irritant to the upper respiratory tract. Choose work methods that avoid or limit cutting, drilling and sawing of MMMF materials. Welding fume** Minimise dust creation eg. use water The fume given off by welding is a mixture of suppression for dusty tasks; use vacuum or airborne gases and very fine particles which wet cleaning techniques, avoid dry sweeping can cause pneumonia, asthma, metal fume or compressed air to remove dust; use hand fever, throat and lung irritation and reduced tools in place of power tools if feasible. lung function if inhaled. Exposure to some Ensu welding fume and gases can cause pulmonary and implement job oedema, and lung/nasal cancers. Refer to the owner/landlo assessment whe Isocyanates Exposu Inhaling isocyanates generated through spray foam and two-pack spray paint products can PPE cause occupational asthma and severe For A respiratory irritation. 5 (BS glov Legionella bacteria asbe There is a risk of exposure to legionella bacteria to dis in droplets of airborne water which, if inhaled, protec can cause Legionnaires disease, a potentially rating fatal pneumonia. or reu sem Tight fitting RPE users should be subject to face fit tests to ensu individual the anticipated level of p See reverse for Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) Consult the experts and breathe freely At BOHS, we believe that construction employers - managers and supervisors - have a key role to play in minimising health risks. YOU can protect your employees by making sure hazards are recognised, risks are evaluated and exposures are effectively controlled. And we can help you do that by providing the information, resources and signposting to the advice and expertise that we know you sometimes need. The Health in Industry Management Standard BREATHE F REELY Plumbing/Gas/Heating Engineer If you want to know what good looks like and what standards need to be met sign up to our Health in Industry (HI) Management Standard. It has been developed specifically for the construction industry so you can raise your standards and keep them high. In April 2016, a new version of the Standard was launched, offering a unique level of user-friendly detail, including sample questions and evidence points, to truly guide managers through the process of achieving the HI Standard. To see who's doing what well, and how - we have developed case studies and good practice. We have 20 fact sheets each highlighting the main hazards, highest risks and preferred control options for all the key construction trades. We have case studies from actual construction projects which show real benefits from control solutions. We've put occupational hygiene into a construction site context so you know what an occupational hygienist can help you with. For practical help - there is a toolkit for managers covering common risks, an audit checklist, toolbox talks and COSHH guidance. And for anyone who still needs convincing - we have evidence that good occupational hygiene is good for business and the right thing to do. Our Good Business Case sets it all out clearly. Bringing it all together is our web-based information hub, an accessible centre of excellence on exposure control. All our campaign materials will be available on this website with new ones being added over time to reflect the growing reach of the initiative. Links take you to more detailed guidance and regulations, other sources of relevant information, and to the BOHS Directory of Occupational Hygiene Services, which is the definitive list of UK companies able to provide qualified and experienced occupational hygienists and specialist occupational hygiene support services.

6 B R E ATHE FR EELY Controlling exposures to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry Breathe Freely - helping you take control Occupational hygiene is about recognising, evaluating and controlling risks to health in the workplace. Occupational hygienists have the knowledge and skills to help you protect your employees. Let s get going by deciding to treat health like safety. Sign up to our HI Standard and commit to a contract for health. Then begin to breathe freely. Join us and be part of the solution PARTNERS SPONSORS